Bill-board and the like.



C. H. TAYLOR & C. E. MELVILLE.

BILLBOARD AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, I914.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. H. TAYLOR & C. F. MELVILLE.

BILL BOARD AND THE LlKE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 191-1.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WWW

nauiran ears earner enrich- CHARLES H. TAYLOR AND CHARLES F. MELVILLE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGINORS,- BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO CRITERION ADVERTISING COMPANY,

INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BILL-BOARD AND THE LIKE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. TAYLOR and CHARLES F. MELvLLLE, residing at New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bill-l3oards and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a bill board, or the like, structure.

A. particular. object of the invention is to provide a simple, attractive, strong and efficient article of this class, which may be manufactured at comparatively small cost.

A further object is to so design the parts that a complete marginal ornamental molding portion may be formed thereon, parts of the moldingbeing formed integrally with the back or base portion of the board.

marginal molding part, and to W A further object is to so design the structure that separately formed portions of the base, which are integral with portions of the molding, areseamed together in such mannor that said seam provides a stiffening rib, preferably centrally of the structure, for strengthening the base.

A further object is to provide a structure comprising a base part and an ornamental rovide meanse'xtending laterally from sai mlding part whereby the structure may be attached to a wall or the like, and further, to dispose said attaching means in a plane, so that when the base part of the structure is brought into engagement with a wall surface, the subsequent operation of bringing the attaching means into, or near, engagement with the wall surface will serve to dispose the base into forced engagement with said wall surface. The wall will thus constitute a uniform and'eflicientsupport for said back in sustaining pressures which may be brought to bear against the said back in use, or by accident.

Uther objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than'those'referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following ascription of the elements, combinations, uigements of parts and applications of iciples, constituting the invention; and ac scope of protection contemplated will be .-..,ltli0ttt8d in the appended claims.

Lin the accompanying drawings which are be taken as a part of this specification,

and in which we have shown a merely preferred form of embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is the plan view illustrating the several parts of the structure disassembled;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the parts in their assembled relation;

Fig. 3 is a vertical, sectional view taken upm the plane of line III-III of Fig. 2; an

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but being taken at right angles thereto upon the plane of line IVIV ofFig. 2.

Fig. 5 illustrates a preferred means for attaching the structure to a wall.

Fig. 6 illustrates a slightly modified form of construction.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken upon the plane of line VII- -VH of Fig. 6,

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate further modifications.

In the formation on the device illustrated we provide four separately formedparts indicated in the drawing as 1, 2, 3 and 4. The parts 1 and 2 are the side members, and the parts 3 and 4: are the end members. The

parts 1 and 2 are substantially identical, and each comprises a base portion L and a molding portion G. The molding portion of each part is formed integrally from a single piece of sheet metal'with the respective base portion, as clearly indicated in Fig. 4: of the drawing. The molding portions are shaped up at the outer edges of the material from which the base portions are formed.

The end members 3 and 4 comprise molding pieces only, they being shaped to correspond to the molding portions G of the members 1 and 2.

The adjacent or inner edges of the portions L are adapted to be seamed together as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4, and this scam obviously serves as a strengthening rib substantially centrally of the base portion.

The opposite ends of the members 1 and 2 are suitably out for receiving the end members 3 and fl, so that the beveled ends as 5 of said end members will fitto the ends of the molding portions G to complete the structure asshown in Fig. 2. The members 3 and i may be solderedor otherwise suitably secured in position.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented Feb, 13, I91 '2 'While it is preferable that the portions L expanse of the base.

of the members 1 and 2 be sufficiently wide sothat, when combined, they complete the desired width of the billboard, it is, however, obvious that they may be spaced apart in the finished structure. as shown in Figs. (3 and"? and a separately formed strip 12 be inserted between them for increasing the width of the structure when desired. In this instance, the separately formed strip would, of course, he seamed along its opposite edges to the-adjacent edges of the portions L. If more than one such strip is employed for further increasing the width of the structure, all such strips would be seamed together. In the formation of all of these seams, several thicknesses of metal occur, as shown at 6, and eachseam, in effect, constitutes a stiffening rib extending across the The seam or seams may be made to project their increased thickness at both sides of the general plane of the base, as in Fig. 7, but they are preferably arranged to project wholly from the rear surface so that the outer or front surface is level and uninterrupted, as indicated in Fig. 4, as in this way a smooth surface is presented to receive illustrations or any advertising matter which may be pasted or painted upon the outer surface of the base as is customary in the use of bill boards of this class.

In the formation of the molding, said molding is preferably provided with a laterally extending integral flange H continuing from the inner end of its outer leg. This flange may be continuous throughout the length of the moldings as illustrated, in Figs. 1 and 2, or may comprise only ears as 13 in Fig. 6, if preferred. In any event, suitable apertures, as 7, are provided through which the nails, screws or other fastening means, as 8, may be inserted into engage-.

ment with the wall for retaining the structure in position.

In use, it is desirable, since the structure is formed of relatively thin light sheet metal, and since for this reason the back or base portion of the structure is more or less flexible and susceptible to being bent or dented by accidentv or otherwise, that this flimsy back portion be disposed as nearly as possible into close engagement with the surface of the wall throughout its extent. In

order to insure such engagement between the base and the wall, the flan e H is preferably disposed in a plane slight y in front of the plane of the back surface of the base, so that when the fastening means 8 is driven home, the material of the molding will be sprung to a greater or les extent and serve as a resilient means for forcibly retaining the back against the surface of the wall. This is clearly indicated in Figs. land 7 wherein the dotted lines 9 indicate the wall or the plane of the rear surface of the base.

Of course, if desired, the flange H may be made to stand at any level relatively to the rear surface of the base, either in position to space said base away from the Wall, as indicated in Fig. 8, or in a plane coincident with the plane of the rear surface of the base as shown in Fi 3. These relative positions of the flange by the thickness of the material employed, or by the nature of the wall to which the device is to be attached.

It is apparent that the nature of the material used in the manufacture of the frame or moldingportion of the structure naturall renders said portion resilient, and it is also apparent that, though we have illustrated, and preferably employ, a base portion to the structure, a frame or molding portion formed hollow as illustrated and having one of its edges disposed .in a plane in front of the other, as indicated in Figs. 4. and 7 may be constructed and employed without the integrally-formed, or attached.

' ing formed of resilient material, having its inner edge in a plane behind the plane of its outer ed e, and'having means at its outer edge whereby the outer edge ma be drawn rearwardly toward ,the plane 0 the inner edge so as to spring the material of the frame, and thus resiliently force the inner edge into tight contact with the support.

may be determined In Fig. 5 we have illustrated. a form of fastening means, as 10, particularly adapted for forcing the frame into engagement with the wall. This fastening means is intended to be used principally at the upper end of the structure and is formed with an inclined portion 11 for engaging theflange whereby the weight of the structure willoperate .to wedge t .e flange toward the wall.

As many changes could be made in' the above described construction, and various embodiments of the invention could be made 4 without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in theaccompanyingdr'awing, shall be interpreted as illustrative'only, and not in a limiting sense, and that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and s ecific features of the invention which ma said to fall within the language of sai claims.

Having thus described our invention what-we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1 A bill board or the like comprising a base'portion formed of a pair of members seamed together along one edge, each of said members having a molding portion formed integrally therewith on the opposite edge, and separately formed molding pieces extending between said mentioned molding portions to complete a marginal molding about said base portion, said separately formed molding pieces being arranged to bridge the seam.

2. A bill board or the like comprising a pair of separately formed members, each of said members being shaped at one edge thereof to form a marginal molding for said bill board, each of said members comprising relatively fiat portions extending toward each other for forming the base of the bill board, said relatively flat portions being seamed together at their adjacent edges to form a stiffening rib for said base portion, and marginal molding pieces at opposite ends of the billboard between which said stifiening rib extends.

3. A billboard or the like, comprising a plurality of members each having fiat portions to comprise the base of the bill board, at least some of said members being bent to form molding portions along one edge thereof, and other molding portions extending between said first mentioned molding portions to complete a continuous molding for the bill board, said last mentioned molding portions bridging the Hat portions of said pluralit of members and being engaged therewit so as to reinforce and stiflen the base formed of said fiat portions.

4. A bill board or the like, comprising a portions to complete a continuous molding for the bill board, said last mentioned molding portions bridging the flat portions of said plurality of members and being engaged therewith so as to reinforce and stiffen the base formed of said flat portions, the adjacent edges of the fiat portions of said plurality of members being connected together to form a reinforcing rib extending between and connecting said last mentioned molding portions and serving to reinforce the base of the billboard.

In combinatioma bill board, and supporting means therefor by means of which said board is suspended upon the surface of awall or the like, said bill board comprising a molding part extending forwardly of the plane of the board and having upper and lower marginal edges connected by a flexible intermediate portion, one ofthemarginal edges of said molding terminating for- Wa-rdly of the plane of the board, and said supporting means being adapted to engage said last mentioned marginal edge.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. TAYLOR. CHARLES F. MELVILLE. Witnesses CHARLES H. WILSO L. Gnnsrono HANDY. 

